Gilead Sciences, Inc. $GILD Shares Sold by Conning Inc.

Key Points

• Conning Inc. reduced its Gilead Sciences position by 4.1% in the fourth quarter, selling 12,061 shares and leaving it with 279,414 shares valued at about $34.3 million.
• Gilead reported better-than-expected quarterly results, posting EPS of $2.03 versus the $1.91 estimate and revenue of $6.96 billion, up 4.4% year over year.
• The company also announced a quarterly dividend of $0.82 per share, which translates to an annualized yield of 2.5%; meanwhile, analysts maintain a Moderate Buy rating with an average price target of $157.04.

Conning Inc. decreased its position in shares of Gilead Sciences, Inc. (NASDAQ:GILD - Free Report) by 4.1% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 279,414 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock after selling 12,061 shares during the quarter. Gilead Sciences makes up about 1.1% of Conning Inc.'s holdings, making the stock its 19th largest position. Conning Inc.'s holdings in Gilead Sciences were worth $34,295,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Simmons Bank increased its position in Gilead Sciences by 2.8% during the fourth quarter. Simmons Bank now owns 38,201 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock worth $4,689,000 after buying an additional 1,052 shares during the period. E Fund Management Hong Kong Co. Ltd. boosted its holdings in shares of Gilead Sciences by 259.1% in the fourth quarter. E Fund Management Hong Kong Co. Ltd. now owns 4,011 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock valued at $492,000 after acquiring an additional 2,894 shares during the period. Allworth Financial LP boosted its holdings in shares of Gilead Sciences by 3.3% in the fourth quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 49,679 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock valued at $6,098,000 after acquiring an additional 1,593 shares during the period. Atria Investments Inc grew its position in shares of Gilead Sciences by 17.2% during the fourth quarter. Atria Investments Inc now owns 87,963 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock worth $10,797,000 after acquiring an additional 12,906 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Navalign LLC acquired a new position in shares of Gilead Sciences in the 4th quarter valued at $137,000. 83.67% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Gilead Sciences Stock Down 0.7%

Shares of NASDAQ:GILD opened at $132.06 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $163.96 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.99 and a beta of 0.31. The firm's 50-day simple moving average is $138.14 and its 200-day simple moving average is $133.25. The company has a quick ratio of 1.77, a current ratio of 1.97 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89. Gilead Sciences, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $97.86 and a fifty-two week high of $157.29.

Gilead Sciences (NASDAQ:GILD - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The biopharmaceutical company reported $2.03 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.91 by $0.12. The firm had revenue of $6.96 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $6.91 billion. Gilead Sciences had a net margin of 30.99% and a return on equity of 48.19%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 4.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.81 earnings per share. Gilead Sciences has set its FY 2026 guidance at -1.050--0.650 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Gilead Sciences, Inc. will post -0.79 earnings per share for the current year.

Gilead Sciences Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 29th. Investors of record on Monday, June 15th will be paid a $0.82 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 15th. This represents a $3.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.5%. Gilead Sciences's payout ratio is 44.69%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Gilead Sciences news, insider Johanna Mercier sold 28,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $154.44, for a total transaction of $4,324,320.00. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 120,288 shares in the company, valued at approximately $18,577,278.72. The trade was a 18.88% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CFO Andrew D. Dickinson sold 3,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $154.43, for a total transaction of $463,290.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 167,779 shares in the company, valued at approximately $25,910,110.97. This trade represents a 1.76% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold 63,000 shares of company stock valued at $9,238,250 over the last quarter. Company insiders own 0.30% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

GILD has been the subject of several research reports. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price target on shares of Gilead Sciences from $125.00 to $130.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, April 17th. Argus upped their target price on shares of Gilead Sciences from $135.00 to $165.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, February 19th. Morgan Stanley lowered their price target on Gilead Sciences from $175.00 to $168.00 in a report on Friday, May 8th. Oppenheimer upped their price objective on Gilead Sciences from $128.00 to $165.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th. Finally, Leerink Partners lowered their target price on Gilead Sciences from $148.00 to $146.00 in a research note on Friday, May 8th. Twenty-four analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $157.04.

About Gilead Sciences

Gilead Sciences, Inc, founded in 1987 and headquartered in Foster City, California, is a biopharmaceutical company focused on the discovery, development and commercialization of medicines in areas of high unmet medical need. The company initially built its reputation in antiviral therapies and has since expanded into oncology, cell therapy and inflammatory diseases. Gilead operates a global research and commercial organization, conducting clinical development and selling medicines in markets around the world.

Gilead's product portfolio is anchored by antiviral therapies for HIV and viral hepatitis.

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